Ravenfeather's Chance
by Sarowin
Summary: All that is good shall be shattered, darkness shall rise, but not if the black warrior stands.
1. Chapter 1: The Prophecy

Ravenfeather's Chance

Characters

Shadowclan

Leader

Tanglestar- Tall brown tabby tom with curly, bent whiskers

Deputy

Pineclaw- Orange tom with green eyes

Medicine Cat

Kestrelfeather- Brown tom with amber eyes and only 3 paws due to a birth defect

Apprentice: Dawnpaw

Warriors

Patchwhisker- White and brown tom with dark green eyes

Apprentice: Lighpaw

Thorntooth- Muddy-brown tom with black whiskers and amber eyes

Shiverwing- White she-cat with amber eyes

Frecklewhisker- Brown she-cat with black points on her ears, tail, whiskers, paws, & nose

Apprentice: Starlingpaw

Dapplefrost- Grey she-cat with lots of white spots and blue eyes

Rainstrike- Grayish/Blue tom with green eyes and a white tail tip

Greytail- Dark grey tom with dark amber eyes

Stormlight- Black and grey tom with very dark/ almost black eyes

Apprentice: Cloudpaw

Rabbitear- White tom with a black tongue, ears, nose, and blue eyes

Poppyflight- Yellow/brown she-cat with amber eyes

Queens

Splashfur- Grayish/blue she-cat with blue eyes

Mate: Pineclaw

Kits: Birdkit, Darkkit, and Spottedkit

Nightwhisper- Pure black she-cat with green eyes

Mate: Stormlight

Kits: Ravenkit and Falconkit

Redwillow- Red/orange she-cat with a black tail and green eyes

Mate: Tanglestar

Kit: Spottedkit

Riverclan

Windclan

Thunderclan

Prologue

The battlefield was red with the blood of her clan mates, weak from a wound on her side, Nightwhisper leaned up on a boulder and watched as horror unfolded on the land she called home. But then, a large, one eyed black tom came streaming from over the hill and straight into the rage of battle. But a huge tom reared up and struck him, raking his claws down the black toms' back. "No!" she screeched, and rushed towards him.

"Nightwhisper….. Nightwhisper!" Nightwhisper awoke from her nightmare abruptly, looking for more attackers. "Are you alright?! Is it the kits?!" Dawnpaw was asking, feeling her for contractions," No, just a bad dream is all." Nightwhisper laid her head down on her paws, pondering her recent dream," I must speak with Tanglestar." She said sharply, and the apprentice made a curt nod and disappeared from the nursery.

Nightwhisper laid a paw upon her swollen belly, feeling the slight twitches and turns of her unborn kits. She hoped that not one of her kits was black, for if one was, death may be not far in his future.

Nightwhisper looked up as she heard the _swoosh_ of the vines covering the nursery entrance as Tanglestar made his way in. "What is wrong, Nightwhisper?" "I fear that Starclan has sent me a prophecy." Tanglestar sat and gave her a serious look," What is the prophecy?" " It isn't all that clear, but it is 'All that is good shall be shattered, darkness shall rise, but not if the black warrior stands.'…. What do you think it means?"

"I think it means we must prepare for battle." Nightwhisper protectively covered her swollen belly with her paw," I guess it does." And Tanglestar took his leave.

"Kestrelfeather!" Nightwhisper cried, as she felt her kits coming. Soon she looked up to see Kestrelfeather and Dawnpaw standing with her with the herbs needed for her kits delivery.

Soon, two toms kits were at her belly, one was a golden color like his grandfather before his father, and one was….. black.

Nightwhisper cried out in despair, for she knew that her son's fate was uncertain. Stormlight licked her ear comfortingly after hearing her dream," He will prevail my sweet, do not worry." And wrapped his tail around hers.

She looked at her golden son, his pelt shining alike to how the sun caught the feathers of a falcon. "Falconkit." She whispered to her son. Then she leaned over to her son who's fate was in the hands of Starclan, and knew what he would be called. "Ravenkit."

Chapter 1

Ravenkit opened his eyes to a dim den and a face full of his mothers' fur. "Oh look Redwillow! Ravenkit has finally opened his eyes!" Purred the familiar voice of his mother, giving him a gentle lick," Why don't you go out and play Ravenkit? Your brother is already outside playing mossball with Birdkit, Darkkit, Spottedkit, and Mousekit." Redwillow commented, smiling at him. He looked up at his mother for approval, but she just flicked her tail and laid her head down on her paws.

Ravenkit stepped over the sleeping Splashfur's tail and trotted out of the den.

As soon as Ravenkit stepped out of the nursery, he was hit square in the face with a moss ball. He gave a surprised squeak and batted it away, leaving the older kits to chase it. Ravenkit looked over and saw only 4 of the kits that Redwillow mentioned. He scanned the camp for the other one, and saw it sitting over by the camp entrance. He gently padded over to where the kit sat, but stopped short as she turned to look at him. "So, you're Ravenkit?" she said. Ravenkit tried to look for something to say, but she responded first," I don't believe we've properly been introduced. I'm Mousekit." She said, padding up to Ravenkit. She gave him a light touch on the nose and padded off to the nursery.

Ravenkit stood there for a few moments, pondering what had just happened, and he decided that she was going to be an interesting clan mate.

Ravenkit padded over to where his brother and the other kits were playing moss ball," Hey! Can I play?!" he called," Sure!" a tinkling voice replied, and he saw the beckoning tail of a little she-kit he assumed was Birdkit, so Ravenkit jumped right in, snatching the ball from his brother's paws and sprinting across the camp, but he only got past the fresh kill pile when he heard a battle cry ring across the clearing, and cats charging in from the camp entrance. Ravenkit drops the moss ball and digs his claws into the dirt, preparing for the worst.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mousekit dart out of the elders den and bolt towards the nursery, Ravenkit tried to follow her, but in the cluster on strange cats, he could only hear the screeches of battle and see his clan mates fighting for their home. He struggled to get to the nursery, but he was stepped on, and eventually lost his footing. He looked up to try and find someone, mewling in fear, but instead, his left eye met a claw. He screeched in agony, praying to Starclan that he wouldn't die. "Ravenkit! Ravenkit! Ravenkit! No no no no no!" he heard his mother say, Ravenkit felt her teeth gently grip the loose skin on the back of his neck, and then, he saw no more.


	2. Chapter 2: Guardian Angles

Chapter 2

Ravenkit stood alone in a strange, starry field, oblivious to the fact that he was in a dream.

He heard a twig snap from behind him. He whirled around, claws un-sheathed, ready to face the enemy. But instead of an attacker, he was met by a friendly face. A starry cat with a kind smile, and a sweet scent.

"Hello Ravenkit." She mewed, padding forwards towards him. Ravenkit sheathed his claws, seeing this cat as no threat, but then realizing that he could only see out of his right eye," My eye!" he yelped, pawing it with confusion," What has happened to me?!" he screeched, the she-cat had transformed into a large, light grey tom with reddish eyes, glaring at him with an evil smile," The battle has only just begun." He sneered, yowling evilly," No!" Ravenkit screeched, running away, but he only reached the tree-line when everything started to fade, including the toms' baneful yowling.

"He's waking up!" he heard Kestrelfeather call, and three cats came sprinting over to him. He recognized the smells of his mother, Nightwhisper, his father, Stormlight, and his brother, Falconkit.

As Ravenkit came to his senses, he felt a light weight over his left eye, and tried to open it, to tell himself that his dream wasn't true, but his efforts were in vain. He managed to open his right eye and greet his family, telling them that he was fine, but he couldn't help feeling his eye patch. He grew angry at the thing, and tore it off, revealing the hideous scar that lay beneath it. "Can you help him, Kestrelfeather?" Nightwhisper pleaded," I've done all that I can, but his eye will never be repaired." He said tentatively, looking at his paws.

Nightwhisper slowly came towards Ravenkit, licking him, and curling her tail around him. Ravenkit whimpered softly and nestled close to his mother, sleeping peacefully.

The next day, Ravenkit was cleared by Kestrelfeather to leave the medicine den and join the other kits again. But as he walked out, they shied away from him, ears laid back in fear. All except for his brother and Mousekit stayed with him. "Oh Ravenkit…." Mousekit mewed, licking his face," Are you feeling ok?" she said, putting her tail over his back comfortingly. He nodded and turned to her," Is it really that bad?" he asked," It is only bad if you think it's bad, don't pay attention to the other kits, they're just clan mates, but Falconkit and I will always be at your side." And Falconkit came and put his tail over him as well," They may be my friends, but you're my brother, my blood, and I will stand by you." Ravenkit looked up at his friends, his allies, and licked their shoulders," And I will do my best to protect you, whatever the cost." And the three kits headed over to the center of the camp to play mossball.


	3. Chapter 3: Apprentices

Chapter 3

Leader

Tanglestar- Tall brown tabby tom with curly, bent whiskers

Deputy

Pineclaw- Orange tom with green eyes

Medicine Cat

Kestrelfeather- Brown tom with amber eyes and only 3 paws due to a birth defect

Apprentice: Dawnpaw

Warriors

Patchwhisker- White and brown tom with dark green eyes

Apprentice: Ravenpaw

Lightfur- Dark yellow tom with brown eyes

Apprentice: Falconpaw

Thorntooth- Light grey tom with black whiskers and amber eyes

Apprentice: Darkpaw

Frecklewhisker- Brown she-cat with black points on her ears, tail, whiskers, paws, & nose

Starlingclaw- Black she-cat with white tail and ears and green eyes

Apprentice: Spottedpaw

Rainstrike- Grayish/Blue tom with green eyes and a white tail tip

Apprentice: Mousepaw

Greytail- Dark grey tom with dark amber eyes

Stormlight- Black and grey tom with very dark/ almost black eyes

Cloudstorm- White tom with icy blue eyes and grey paws

Rabbitear- White tom with a black tongue, ears, nose, and blue eyes

Apprentice: Birdpaw

Poppyflight- Yellow/brown she-cat with amber eyes

Redwillow- Red/orange she-cat with a black tail and green eyes

Queens

Dapplefrost- Grey she-cat with lots of white spots and blue eyes

Mate: Rainstrike

Kits: Expecting

Shiverwing- White she-cat with amber eyes

Mate: Rabbitear

Kits: Littlekit and Timberkit

Elders

Cedartail- Russet, grey she-cat with yellow/brown eyes. Mother of Patchwhisker and Thorntooth. Mate of Voletooth.

Voletooth- Brown tom with a short temper and green eyes. Father of Patchwhisker and Thorntooth. Mate of Cedartail.

Ripplesplash- half-clan she cat with blue fur and eyes. Mother of Cloudpaw and Starlingpaw. Mate of Pebbletail.(D)

* 5 moons later*

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather at the Highbranch!" Tanglestar's yowl rang within the Shadowclan camp, and Ravenkit, Mousekit, and Falconkit shot out of the nursery, pelts glossy and ready to become apprenticed. Ravenkit's heart was pounding; he couldn't wait to become a warrior apprentice! He could tell that Mousekit and Falconkit were thinking the same. They exchanged excited glances, and waited for the other warriors to gather. Although Ravenkit's bloody wound had healed and was now only a scar, the other kits still gave him weird looks and taunted him, but with Falconkit and Mousekit, the others never really bothered him.

"Now it is time for Falconkit, Ravenkit, Mousekit, Spottedkit, Darkkit, and Birdkit to receive their new position in the clan as apprentices. Rainstrike, please step forward." And a large, grayish/blue tom with muscles rippling under his glossy pelt came forward," Your apprentice will be Mousepaw." And Mousepaw trotted up to her mentor and gently touched noses with him, and sat with him in the crowd of Shadowclan cats.

"Rabbitear, please step forward." And the white tom stepped forward gracefully," Your apprentice will be Birdpaw." He announced, and the little she-cat bounced over to him and touched noses." Starlingclaw, please step forward." And a young black she-cat trotted up, looking a bit surprised. Gasps were coming from the clan, wondering if a new warrior could successfully train an apprentice. "Starlingclaw, you will train Spottedpaw." Spottedpaw trotted up and sat proudly next to her mentor.

"Thorntooth, please step forward." And a muddy brown tom stepped up to receive his apprentice," You will be training Darkpaw." And Darkpaw trotted up, his tail flicking excitedly, and sat next to his mentor. "Lightfur, please step forward." And Lightfur looked at the two remaining apprentices," You will be training Falconpaw." Ravenkit felt his brother's pelt brush against his as he got up to sit by his mentor.

Ravenkit felt all eyes burning into his pelt, trembling as he waited to see Tanglestar's mentor choice for him,_' He better not make me a medicine cat.'_ He thought glumly, looking up at his leader," Patchwhisker, please step forward." And Ravenkit took a sigh of relief," You will be training Ravenpaw." And Ravenpaw spun around to greet his mentor, and he was greeted by friendly eyes and a gentle nose touch,_' He feels pity for me, well, that won't last long.'_ Ravenpaw thought. He looked at Mousepaw and Falconpaw sitting by their mentors, and wondered if they were going to train together.

"Why don't you go eat some fresh kill and prepare yourself for tomorrow, we will be learning the Shadowclan territory and practicing battle training." And with an excited nod, Ravenkit trotted to the fresh kill, only to find the whispering sneers of Darkpaw and Spottedpaw," He should've been made a medicine cat, how is he going to catch prey with one eye?" Darkpaw sneered, glancing at Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw just took a frog from the pile and sat down next to Mousepaw and Falconpaw," Can you believe it!" Ravenpaw exclaimed, Mousepaw and Falconpaw looked up at him, the same excitement in their eyes," What are you guys doing tomorrow?" Ravenpaw asked," Well, I'm on the Dawn Patrol and I'm going hunting with Rainstrike." Said Mousepaw," I'm going battle training tonight! Lightfur is going to teach me how to attack from the trees." Falconpaw said, his eyes shining with excitement," Well, Patchwhisker said he's taking me to patrol the borders and do a little battle training tomorrow." Ravenpaw said, tearing into his frog.

That night, Ravenpaw had another dream from Starclan;

_He could hear the screeches of dying cats all around him, but at his side were his two best friends, and he could feel the energy of the many cats from behind him. As he charged down the hill, he locked his eyes on the grey tom that came to him 5 moons ago, but before Ravenpaw could attack, Starclan spoke to him," Ravenpaw! You must be ready for this moment! The fate of the clans is in your paws!"_


	4. Chapter 4: Brother Against Brother

Chapter 4

"Ravenpaw! Wake up! It's time for your first day of training!" Patchwhisker said, shaking Ravenpaw, he awoke with a start, leaping up from his nest. Ravenpaw looked to see that Mousepaw had already left, and Falconpaw was fast asleep, probably exhausted from last night's tree training.

Ravenpaw trotted out of the apprentices den and out of the camp entrance for the first time. He took in all of the new scents and sights, even attempting to catch a squirrel on the way. But when Ravenpaw returned to his mentor empty pawed, Patchwhisker just said," You'll learn soon enough, let's focus on the borders though, OK?" Patchwhisker said, padding through a bush, only to collide with Mousepaw," Oh! Patchwhisker! I'm so sorry! T-There was a squirrel, and I-"Patchwhisker cut her off," It's fine Mousepaw, I'm sorry I was in your way, Ravenpaw and I were just going to find the borders of the surrounding clans." "Mousepaw! What happened?!" they heard Rainstrike call," I found Patchwhisker and Ravenpaw!" she called," I have to go now, bye Ravenpaw! Bye Patchwhisker!" she called, and disappeared into the bushes.

After scenting Thunderclan and Riverclan, Ravenpaw found himself in a small clearing with Thorntooth and Darkpaw, ready for battle training. "Well, look here, if it isn't my baby brother and his deformed apprentice." Thorntooth sneered, making Ravenpaw's fur stand. "We didn't come here to fight, Thorntooth, we just want to battle train." Patchwhisker said firmly, turning away from them and beckoning Ravenpaw to follow.

'_How are they _brothers_?!' _Ravenpaw thought, glaring at Darkpaw with his good eye.

"I don't want you to give them the slightest tail twitch, do you understand?" Patchwhisker said firmly, and Ravenpaw nodded, giving his full attention to his mentor. In just that training session, Ravenpaw learned the Back Kick, Belly Rake, Front Paw Blow, Front Paw Strike, the Leap and hold, Partner fighting, and Play Dead, while Darkpaw had been stuck on the Leap and Hold the entire time. "You are really excelling Ravenpaw, but let's take a break and go hunting tomorrow, OK?" Ravenpaw smiled," That sounds good Patchwhisker."

And as they turned to leave, they heard Thorntooth call," Defend yourself!" and Ravenpaw suddenly felt a large weight drop onto his back and pin him down, but he just went limp and felt Darkpaw loosen his grip, and then he shoved him off with a mighty heave, only to see that Darkpaw had outstretched his claws and was charging at him, Ravenpaw's eyes grew wide, but as Darkpaw got close, Ravenpaw used his tail to trip him, sending him flying. "Ravenpaw! Run!" Patchwhisker called from behind him, Ravenpaw spun around, seeing Thorntooth attack Patchwhisker head on. "Partner up!" Ravenpaw called to his mentor, and they stood back to back, fighting off the two cats.

After the sun went down and the moon rose up, Darkpaw and Thorntooth finally backed off, yowling into the forest. "We have to beat them home!" Patchwhisker called, sprinting in the direction of the camp, and Ravenpaw not far behind.

As the two arrived, Patchwhisker ran straight into the leaders den. "Ravenpaw!" he heard Mousepaw and Falconpaw call, trotting over to them, Ravenpaw collapsed at their paws, panting heavily from the fight and the energy draining run to camp." Who did this to you?!" Falconpaw demanded, flicking his tail in anger," Who cares! We'll deal with that later Falconpaw, look at Ravenpaw! He needs help and a good nights rest." But as Mousepaw was helping Ravenpaw find his footing, Tanglestar, Patchwhisker, Stormlight, and the elder Cedartail came over to the three apprentices. "Ravenpaw," Tanglestar said," I need to speak with you in my den immediately. Stormlight, help your son find his paws and then meet me in my den." "Yes, Tanglestar." Stormlight nodded, already worriedly helping his son up and gently leading him up to the Highbranch.

Ravenpaw looked back at his friends as he padded away with his father, seeing their faces as he walked away made him swell with affection for them both. They both cared so much, and him the same, but again, they pitied him. Ravenpaw then vowed that he would never let them go, no matter how hard things got.

On the Highbranch, Tanglestar sat closest to the tree trunk, while the other cats found their own little branches to perch on, leaving Ravenpaw and Patchwhisker centered in front of Cedartail, Voletooth, Stormlight, Thorntooth, Darkpaw, a very nervous Nightwhisper, and Tanglestar. "How did this all happen, Ravenpaw?" Tanglestar asked firmly, and Ravenpaw spilled everything about how their calm training session had gone terribly wrong.

Tanglestar had an unreadable expression the whole time Ravenpaw spoke, taking in every word with a simple nod. Thorntooth and Darkpaw sat on the farthest branch from them, snickering about.

When Ravenpaw finished, Tanglestar dismissed them with a tail flick and gathered the elders and his parents close to discuss the problem.

Ravenpaw and Patchwhisker leapt down from the tree, Patchwhisker landing gracefully, and Ravenpaw landing on his feet, but then falling over due to the shock of the land. Shaking himself off, Ravenpaw looked up at his mentor," Get some rest Ravenpaw, tomorrow we work on tree battle and moss collecting." Patchwhisker said briefly with a smile, and trotted off towards the medicine den to patch up his scratches from earlier that day.

Ravenpaw settled into his nest, putting his tail over his nose, he started to fall into a deep slumber, sinking in deeper with each passing second. And in his dream, Starclan showed him the same grey tom that had come to him as a kit, and then it hit him,' _That's Thorntooth!'_


	5. Chapter 5: Danger Approaches

Chapter 5

Leader

Tanglestar- Tall brown tabby tom with curly, bent whiskers

Deputy

Pineclaw- Orange tom with green eyes

Medicine Cat

Kestrelfeather- Brown tom with amber eyes and only 3 paws due to a birth defect

Dawnlight- Dark ginger she-cat with dark green eyes with black spots in them.

Warriors

Patchwhisker- White and brown tom with dark green eyes

Apprentice: Ravenpaw

Lightfur- Dark yellow tom with brown eyes

Apprentice: Falconpaw

Thorntooth- Light grey tom with black whiskers and amber eyes

Apprentice: Darkpaw

Frecklewhisker- Brown she-cat with black points on her ears, tail, whiskers, paws, & nose

Starlingclaw- Black she-cat with white tail and ears and green eyes

Apprentice: Spottedpaw

Rainstrike- Grayish/Blue tom with green eyes and a white tail tip

Apprentice: Mousepaw

Greytail- Dark grey tom with dark amber eyes

Stormlight- Black and grey tom with very dark/ almost black eyes

Cloudstorm- White tom with icy blue eyes and grey paws

Rabbitear- White tom with a black tongue, ears, nose, and blue eyes

Apprentice: Birdpaw

Redwillow- Red/orange she-cat with a black tail and green eyes

Queens

Shiverwing- White she-cat with amber eyes

Mate: Rabbitear

Kits: Littlekit and Timberkit

Dapplefrost- Grey she-cat with lots of white spots and blue eyes

Mate: Rainstrike

Kits: Fawnkit, Tallkit, Heatherkit, Spiderkit, and Mistkit

Poppyflight- Yellow/brown she-cat with amber eyes

Mate: Patchwhisker

Kits: Expecting

Elders

Cedartail- Russet, grey she-cat with yellow/brown eyes. Mother of Patchwhisker and Thorntooth. Mate of Voletooth.

Voletooth- Brown tom with a short temper and green eyes. Father of Patchwhisker and Thorntooth. Mate of Cedartail.

Ripplesplash- half-clan she cat with blue fur and eyes. Mother of Cloudstorm and Starlingclaw. Mate of Pebbletail.(D)

Ravenpaw yawned and stretched, kneading his nest with his claws. He trotted out into camp, taking in the sweet scent of fresh kill and the warmth of the sun on his pelt. He headed over to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a squirrel. Sitting down next to Mousepaw and Falconpaw, tore hungrily into his squirrel," Slow down there!" Mousepaw exclaimed, looking up from her starling," You'll get fat eating like that Ravenpaw! Is there something wrong?" "I had another dream last night…" Ravenpaw said, not meeting their eyes," You need to talk to Tanglestar and Kestrelfeather! They'll know what to do!" "No, I need to process it, it was pretty gruesome." And he stood up and trotted away, not looking back, but feeling the eyes of his brother and best friend burn into his back. He could almost feel their worry, but he had other things to focus on, he would talk to Kestrelfeather later.

Ravenpaw and Patchwhisker had an amazing training day with the trees, but it was time to calm down and collect moss for the warriors den, nursery, and Tanglestar's den.

Patchwhisker led Ravenpaw to a large fallen tree with moss covering the entire surface, no bark was visible. "This is where we get all of the moss for the camp, this tree right here." Patchwhisker said, approaching the moss tree," Today, we will be working on the most important task in the clan besides hunting." "Moss collecting?!" Ravenpaw exclaimed, looking at his mentor," Yes, it takes patience to collect moss, and a skilled claw." And with a smooth motion of his paw, Patchwhisker had a large roll of moss in his large paw. "Come over here and let me show you." Patchwhisker beckoned, and Ravenpaw trotted up and sat by his mentor, focusing on how Patchwhisker put his claw on the moss and sliced sideways. When Ravenpaw tried, he had an exact copy of his mentor's roll of moss. "Well done Ravenpaw!" Patchwhisker exclaimed," Never have I had an apprentice that quick in learning how to collect the moss!" "Thank you Patchwhisker." Ravenpaw said, taking pride in his mentor's words.

As they headed back to camp, with the moss tucked under their chins," Now go drop that off by the medicine den and clean out the nursery and elders den, then put the fresh moss in their dens, and after that, come and talk to me, I'll be up with Tanglestar." And with that, he turned tail and left Ravenpaw to do the chores of an apprentice.

Cleaning out the dens wasn't all that bad to Ravenpaw, it went quickly and efficiently for him, in and out. But in the elders den, Ravenpaw got to hear the stories of great battles and of Tigerstar and Scourge, how Tigerstar was defeated and how a cat by the name of Firestar came to greatness and defeated the evil ShadowClan leader, how Yellowfang overcame her evil past and struck down her evil son Brokenstar, and how some of the ShadowClan cats might be related to Hollyleaf, Firestar's granddaughter.

After hearing these stories, Ravenpaw trotted back to Patchwhisker, who was sitting with Tanglestar," I hope I'm not interrupting anything here Patchwhisker, but you wished to see me after I was done with den cleaning." I said, looking into the eyes of my leader and mentor," Yes Ravenpaw, come, we have much to discuss." Tanglestar said, and turned towards his den," Bring your friends and family, Ravenpaw, they all need to hear this." Patchwhisker said, following Tanglestar.

Ravenpaw went and fetched Falconpaw, Mousepaw, Nightwhisper, and Stormlight and headed up to the Highbranch, his tail flicking nervously.

"Please sit." Tanglestar said, motioning to the strong branches around him. We all took a branch, eying the leader with our utmost attention," I have called you here today because I feel that you should all be aware of the dangers, and burdens, that Starclan has placed upon all of us." Ravenpaw turned his ear toward a light whimper from his mother, his eye opening in worry. He looked at his friends, seeing the worry in their eyes. Their eyes all met for a single moment, sharing fear, and then turned back towards the leader," Starclan has chosen the clans in this forest to carry out a deed that no cat should." Tanglestar continued," Ravenpaw has been selected to carry out the duty of riding us from a group of cats that is coming our way to destroy us, and they are fast approaching, but they will not arrive until Ravenpaw is fully trained, or so I have heard from Starclan. Hollyleaf has sent me with this message to protect her kin, to make sure that he-" "Hollyleaf?!" Ravenpaw burst out," Wait, she is my kin?!" "Yes Ravenpaw, and yours Falconpaw. Now she has asked us to gather here today to discuss this matter with everyone you care about. This is a precious process, and may cost you your life Ravenpaw. I would not wish this upon any cat, but StarClan has chosen _you_, and only you, for this task." Ravenpaw looked at his paws, his eye widened in shock,_' Why not some big cat with large muscles, a strong build and two eyes?' _Ravenpaw thought to himself," Because I know you can do it, Ravenpaw." A voice said," Hollyleaf? Is that you?" Ravenpaw asked, searching for the voice that spoke to him," Yes Ravenpaw, you must be the one to take down this cat, no other cat can do this Ravenpaw, but it is uncertain that you will survive, or if you will even kill him." Hollyleaf said," Then choose a cat that can!" I yowled," I already have." Hollyleaf said, and she left Ravenpaw to again join in on their discussion.

A nightmare of blood and dying raged through Ravenpaw's mind that night, filling his head with images of his dying friends and family, and Thorntooth burying his claws into Falconpaw's neck, drowning him in his own blood. "I know who it is I must kill." Ravenpaw told Hollyleaf when she came to him," I know young one, I know."


	6. Chapter 6: The Final Test

Chapter 6

Leader

Tanglestar- Tall brown tabby tom with curly, bent whiskers

Deputy

Pineclaw- Orange tom with green eyes

Medicine Cat

Dawnlight- Dark ginger she-cat with dark green eyes with black spots in them.

Apprentice: Littlepaw

Warriors

Patchwhisker- White and brown tom with dark green eyes

Apprentice: Ravenpaw

Lightfur- Dark yellow tom with brown eyes

Apprentice: Falconpaw

Thorntooth- Light grey tom with black whiskers and amber eyes

Apprentice: Darkpaw

Frecklewhisker- Brown she-cat with black points on her ears, tail, whiskers, paws, & nose

Starlingclaw- Black she-cat with white tail and ears and green eyes

Apprentice: Spottedpaw

Rainstrike- Grayish/Blue tom with green eyes and a white tail tip

Apprentice: Mousepaw

Greytail- Dark grey tom with dark amber eyes

Apprentice: Timberpaw

Stormlight- Black and grey tom with very dark/ almost black eyes

Cloudstorm- White tom with icy blue eyes and grey paws

Rabbitear- White tom with a black tongue, ears, nose, and blue eyes

Apprentice: Birdpaw

Shiverwing- White she-cat with amber eyes

Redwillow- Red/orange she-cat with a black tail and green eyes

Queens

Dapplefrost- Grey she-cat with lots of white spots and blue eyes

Mate: Rainstrike

Kits: Fawnkit, Tallkit, Heatherkit, Spiderkit, and Mistkit

Poppyflight- Yellow/brown she-cat with amber eyes

Mate: Patchwhisker

Kits: Expecting

Elders

Cedartail- Russet, grey she-cat with yellow/brown eyes. Mother of Patchwhisker and Thorntooth. Mate of Voletooth.

Voletooth- Brown tom with a short temper and green eyes. Father of Patchwhisker and Thorntooth. Mate of Cedartail.

Ripplesplash- half-clan she cat with blue fur and eyes. Mother of Cloudstorm and Starlingclaw. Mate of Pebbletail.(D)

Kestrelfeather- Brown tom with amber eyes and only 3 paws due to a birth defect

Several moons passed, and each day, Ravenpaw grew stronger, his muscles larger, and he became more skilled. He trained with Patchwhisker every day, mastering his battle skills and perfecting his hunting. And whenever he needed to calm down, Patchwhisker would take him to collect moss for the elders, then to send him into the den to listen to tales of old.

As the day where he would finally become a warrior came closer, the clan became restless, aware of an unpleasant presence. Thorntooth haunted his sleep, repeatedly killing those he loved. And it became very clear that Thorntooth had plans of his own for the future of Shadow Clan.

"Ravenpaw!" Tanglestar called from the camp clearing. With Falconpaw and Mousepaw hard on his heels, they rushed over to the clan leader," Thorntooth, he's gone into Twoleg territory to prepare for the battle, he has a large number of cats. I want you to fetch Patchwhisker, let's see what you have learned." And dismissed the young apprentices with a flick of his tail.

Racing across the camp, Ravenpaw found his mentor with his mate, Poppyflight, sharing a rabbit near the nursery. "Patchwhisker, Tanglestar wants to evaluate what I've learned, we need to go." Ravenpaw said, the words tumbling from his mouth," Alright Ravenpaw, meet me by the entrance, I'll be there very soon." He said, turning to his mate.

In a short moment, Patchwhisker met Ravenpaw and Tanglestar at the camp entrance, tail twitching excitedly," Let's go." Tanglestar said, turning tail and running into the forest before them.

When they reached the sandy hollow, Tanglestar said," Patchwhisker, I want you to observe this one." He said, facing Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw felt his fur begin to stand on end, his paws firm to the earth below him. Tanglestar began to circle with Ravenpaw, daring him to strike first. Ravenpaw, faked a front paw slash, sending the Shadowclan lead hurtling towards him. Ravenpaw, jumped up and landed squarely on Tanglestar's back, shoving him down with his new muscle weight. Tanglestar went limp, causing Ravenpaw to fall off of him. Ravenpaw rolled instead of simply dropping to the ground, finding his feet before Tanglestar could, going in for a belly rake, but instead, Tanglestar rolled onto his back, pushed Ravenpaw across the sand, and sped over.

Ravenpaw ducked under his leader, sliding under his belly, flipping him onto his back. Ravenpaw then put his jaws around his leaders neck," Dead." He said, his voice muffled by his leaders fur in his mouth. Ravenpaw then released his leader, stepping away from him." I think you are almost ready to become a warrior, I just need a conformation from Patchwhisker that you are a proficient hunter." Tanglestar's eyes flicking to Patchwhisker, who sat on the boulder at the edge of the clearing for observation," I can assure you that Ravenpaw is ready, as are his fellow apprentices." Patchwhisker said," We've been training frequently with the other apprentices, who have helped Ravenpaw become the fighter and hunter he is by their mentor's assistance as well as mine. They are all ready." Tanglestar took a moment to think, replying," Alright. I will ask for conformation from the mentors and have the apprentices go on an evaluation hunt." And with nothing more, Tanglestar disappeared into the dense forest.


End file.
